1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a storage case which can obtain a variety of decorations using light, to create an aesthetically pleasing or original and novel effect to give a characteristic and unique atmosphere.
2. Description of Related Art
In general, various kinds of containers are decorated by various methods conventionally to improve the design. For example, a surface of the container is decorated by coloring with a coating or the like, surface treating by sputtering or the like, applying letters or patterns as a plane or a three-dimensional appearance using a plate member or a transfer sheet, and superimposing a transparent or semi-transparent layer over an applied pattern or the like, and providing a portion to insert a sheet member such as a photo (for example, refer to Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Publication No. 54-83961, Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-open Publication No. 58-179012, Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-open Publication No. 58-179013, Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-open Publication No. 58-179014, Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-open Publication No. 59-1310, Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-open Publication No. 59-45017, Japanese Patent Examined Publication No. 1-37248, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Publication No. 7-88890, and the like).
On the other hand, as a container provided with a light source, there is known that disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Publication No. 11-102601. An object of the conventional case is to provide a portable case having a light source so that even if a user is in a place with low lighting, for example, outside at night, in a conference using OHP, or inside a car at nighttime, the user can see inside a bag, and see what one is writing on a memo pad, and see the user's face reflected in a mirror when applying make-up. On an inner surface of a top lid portion of a container which comprises a case body and a top lid portion attached by a hinge to the case body to be able to open and close, there is mounted a light source unit comprised of an acrylic and opalescent diffusion panel, a light source formed of a cold cathode fluorescent tube provided at the rear of the diffusion panel, a reflector mirror attached with a reflector sheet formed of an aluminum thin plate provided in the rear of the light source, a circuit board to light up the light source, a power supply, and a switch means, and the light source is lit up. Thus, the inside of the container body can be lit up, and a face of a person holding the container body can be lit up so that a mirror can be used even in a dark place, and even in a place with low lighting, an object can be lit, and the face of the person in the mirror when applying make-up can be seen. Further, the light source was made to light up at a predetermined brightness, or a dimming means to dim the light manually was provided.
However, the “portable case having a light source” focuses only on the point of illumination, so that various effects which can be made by the light source to the container have not been used effectively or sufficiently. Specifically, in the relationship between the light source and the mirror, the light source and the mirror are provided in separate positions, and the light source only lights up the face or the like, and the mirror only shows the face which is lit up, and these functions were just used separately.
Further, conventionally, as a storage case to store a rod-shaped object, there is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Publication No. 9-182621, a roll-up type rod-shaped object storage case which rolls up a lipstick which is rod-shaped when using it, and rolls down the lipstick into the storage case when storing it. Such a rod-shaped storage case has generally been decorated by various methods conventionally to improve the design. For example, the surface of the storage case is decorated by coloring with coating or the like, surface treating by sputtering or the like, applying letters or patterns in a flat or a three-dimensional appearance using a plate member or a transfer sheet, and superimposing a transparent or semi-transparent layer over an applied pattern or the like.
Further, as disclosed in for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Publication No. 2002-2742, Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-open Publication No. 1-130957, Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-open Publication No. 48-26149, there is conventionally known a storage case with a case body to store liquid, powder, or cream as a content, which comprises with a lid body attached to and detached from separably by screws and by fitting in a diameter to open and close the case body. The case body has been decorated by various methods conventionally to improve the design. For example, a variety of decorations are applied on the surface of the case body, by using as materials for the case body, glass bottles with color, and laminated tubes printed with patterns or the like, and applying methods such as coating, sputtering and the like for surface treatment, and applying letters or patterns or the like in a plain or a three-dimensional appearance using a plate member or a transfer sheet, and further covering with an exterior body which is made separately.
Further, in regards to the lid body, it has similarly been decorated by various methods conventionally to improve the design. For example, the surface of the lid body has been decorated by coloring with coating or the like, surface treating by sputtering or the like, applying letters or patterns in a flat or a three-dimensional appearance using a plate member or a transfer sheet, and superimposing a transparent or semi-transparent layer over an applied pattern or the like (refer to, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Publication No. 7-88890).
However, decorations that can be obtained by conventional techniques shown in for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Publication No. 7-88890 are already well-known, and from a technical view of applying decorations, there was a limit.
Further, a conventional container shown in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-102601 has a light source but focuses only on the point of illumination, and lights up the light source at a predetermined brightness, and dims the light by manually operating the dimming means, and does not focus on effectively and sufficiently using various aesthetically pleasing effects that can be given to the container by the light source. That is, it can be considered that, the container was configured under the idea that the light source was necessary only to obtain brightness.
However, when the light source is used, a variety of visual effects can be obtained, and the expression given by the effect of the light can vary even with the same product. The inventors of the present application focused on using light of the light source, and by decorating with light, so as to obtain an aesthetically pleasing decoration which has not been seen before on the storage case, thus achieving the present invention.